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The causes of cluster headaches are still unknown and of particular interest as the pain from cluster headaches can be so intense that a person can become incapacitated. There are no warning signs that a cluster headache is about to happen and they can last for as long as three hours before you experience any relief.

The pain you feel with a cluster headache is much greater than a traditional headache. The pain is generally located behind the temple or eye and can spread to the neck or shoulders. Some frequent symptoms are eyelid drooping, tearing, runny nose, blushing, swelling, sweating and a reddening of the eye.

You can be a victim of either episodic or chronic cluster headaches. You can also suffering from episodic headaches and then become a chronic sufferer or vice versa. If you get a cluster headache at about the same time everyday but then notice that you don't get them for a few months and then they occur again then you suffer from episodic cluster headaches. A chronic sufferer will not experience any relief from these headaches but will always get them. The episodic relief period can last for as long as a few years before you begin to suffer from cluster headaches again.

Cluster headaches tend to be more prevalent in men than women, whereas women tend to have more migraine headaches. The pain from the cluster headache is caused by a dilation of the blood vessels which applies pressure onto the trigeminal nerve. The cause of the dilation of the blood vessels is still unknown.

Some known triggers of cluster headaches are chocolate, exposure to sun, alcohol, exposure to hydrocarbon products like gasoline and perfume, nitro-glycerine, lack of sleep, too much sleep and heat. Not too individuals are a like so why cluster headaches form is confusing. Certain foods also trigger cluster headaches so you need to be observant of what is the trigger for your cluster headaches.

Some triggers that cause cluster headaches are alcohol, chocolate, exposure to hydro carbon products like gasoline and perfume, nitro-glycerine, heat, lack of sleep, and too much sleep. Diet is thought to play an important part in cluster headaches but which foods trigger cluster headaches differs between individuals.

Non-prescriptive medicine does not affect the pain caused by cluster headaches as the cause of pain is different from normal headaches. Abortive and prophylactic or preventative medication is needed to affect pain from a cluster headache. Abortive treatment can be used once you notice the pain from a cluster headache and will shorten the time of your headache or cause the pain threshold to be lower, will preventative medication helps to stop the cluster headache from happening.

Melatonin, lithium, methysergide, muscle relaxants, steroids, calcium channel blockers and magnesium supplements have all been found to prevent cluster headaches depending on the individual. You will respond differently to each treatment so it is important to pay attention to what causes your cluster headaches and which treatments work the best and preventing or shortening them. If you do not like taking medication there are some herbal treatments that some people have found to be effective against cluster headaches.